on our broadcast tonight, tornado warnings tonight and throughout the day as a huge and severe storm front rolls to the east with millions of people in its path. and the damage reports continue this evening. also tonight, the direct hit the small communities that have been wiped out in the path of this storm. we'll check in with the teams on the ground. pressure points, the u.s. goes after putin's inner circle, not military, this is all about money. >> and the new backlash after that racial tirade caught on tape. tonight, the nba is under pressure to do something fast about one of its team owners.

"nightly news" begins now. this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams reporting tonight from los angeles. good evening, and for a second straight night storms are moving across the american south. as the hours pass into the evening, we keep getting damage reports as the storms progress. the national weather service is calling this a particularly dangerous situation. these are big storms with a powerful weather front. while there was a lot of warning, we've known for days this was coming. the randomness and severity of the storm's actually impact is something else entirely and a lot of communities are dealing with damage and loss of life tonight. when the storm hit late today, this was the scene late there today when the weather man was told it was time to take his own advice and take shielder with a tornado baring down on the television station. our teams have been on the

ground since the first bad outbreak. lester holt and al roker, al good evening. >> reporter: we're ahead of the system right now. you see downtown birmingham and huntsville, alabama with tornado warnings in effect. we already had, as you mentioned, quite a bit of activity, tupulo, mississippi, no reports of loss of life or major injuries but it's big a big, big night. louisville, mississippi, they have seen tornado touchdown. again, the second night of more tornados. as we look at the radar right now, the latest radar, you can see a wide swath of tornado watches. as we zoom in, areas in pink are active tornado warnings from jackson mississippi to almost huntsville, alabama. we're looking at warnings tonight. here is the setup. we have a vigorous low pressure system getting itself together. the low pressure is providing energy and will have a strong jet stream and tense sheer. that causes rotation. as we get down to the surface, we have a lot of moisture coming up out of the gulf.

strong southerly winds. it will create heavy rain and flooding. here is what we got, a very volatile situation as far as severe storms. a wide swath of slight risk, but a high risk from jackson to tupelo to columbus to birmingham. in the meantime, another volatile, 24 hours, brian, before we're out of the woods with this dangerous situation. >> all right. al roker starting us off from birmingham tonight. al, thanks. we're just beginning see the full scope of damage done by dozens of tornados in the first wave of this storm from the midwest on into the south. one of them a mile wide tornado, another carving a path 100 miles long across the state of arkansas.

lester holt is in hard hit mayflower, arkansas tonight north of little rock. lester, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. look at this tattered twisted landscape behind me, pieces of homes and businesses and vehicles swept off i-40 about 200 yards from where i'm standing. in some cases, pull peopled from the wreckage of these vehicles. that tornado tore through faulkner county where i am. the bore the worst of it. 14 people died in arkansas. many others saying if not for a miracle, they wouldn't be around today. >> get in the car! >> reporter: the first significant tornado outbreak of the season. setting off warning sirens and tearing through as many as seven states stretching from nebraska and iowa down to mississippi. in mayflower, arkansas, this is what robert saw with his own eyes as he stepped out his front door. >> i said oh my goodness. i said it's here. i said y'all get in the hall, get in the hall. >> reporter: they took shelter in a hallway and survived.

a few hundred yards behind his house, cars driving along i-40 were transformed into tangled piles of meatal. >> we're in it right now, we're in the tornado. >> reporter: skies across the plains turned black as people tried to take cover. in arkansas alone, twisters left a path of destruction more than 100 miles long according to the national weather service. the tornadoes hit i-40 in mayflower at :34 p.m. and traveled northeast. by 8:20 p.m., the storm toppled power lines near searcy, arkansas, leaving thousands in the dark. at 9:24, the last reported tornado in arkansas in campbell station, making it a two-hour ordeal for the state. the weather experts will survey this and figure out the official intensity. to the layman, this catches your eye and leaves you in awe. a thin piece of metal embedded

deeply in this tree like a dagger. imagine that kind of force. [crying] >> reporter: 73-year-old ruth buzer lost her home and nearly her life. never again she told me. >> they told me a tornado was coming and it was going to kill me or whatever, i'd say take me. i don't want to live through that tornado. >> reporter: 100 yards away, her son-in-law and his wife took shelter in a bathroom. what could you see and hear? >> couldn't see much until the roof came off -- i mean, the door, i kept trying to hold the door. it kept trying to hold up. >> reporter: they followed warnings all day that included urgent tweets from the national weather service little rock office. tornado crossing i-40 right now read one. another, takeover -- take cover now. cover now. their home completely torn apart, the weather radio that was their lifeline left in the bathroom that became their

shelter. >> seemed like it lasted us forever, but it probably didn't last long at all. >> reporter: in the neighboring town, devastated three years ago by another tornado, michelle mcgee had just moved to this neighborhood. >> this is what i worked my life for and just lying there. >> reporter: so much lost but it's what she's found that really hit home, an old jewelry box, a gift from her mother. a lot of people alive here because of a timely warning. the storm prediction center called it as late as friday that there would be a risk of strong perhaps tornados here in south and central arkansas, brian? >> all right. lester holt, mayflower, arkansas. we'll keep an eye on it all night and so will the weather channel err more tonight, of course, on your late local news. other news, the search for the missing malaysia airlines 777 could be a long face. underwater as the air cop ration, the part of this that was looking for wreckage on the

surface of the water now comes to an end over seven weeks after the aircraft disappeared. nbc's katy tur remains at search headquarters in perth, australia, good evening. >> reporter: it's not the news they wanted to come out of here announcing another phase of the investigation. they are suspending the aerial search and widening out the underwater search since the current location offered no clues. in addition to bluefin 21, they will seek help from commercial specialized contractors with sophisticated technology, like the u.s. navy orion which is a towed submersible that can go deeper and send back data realtime. the new search zone is ten of thousands of square miles, roughly the size of indiana. they say it will take eight months to search if all goes well and cost upwards of $50 million. meanwhile, families just as frustrated as ever and once again, they are questioning if they are even searching in the right zone.

brian? >> katy tur, perth, australia for us tonight remaining on the investigation. back in this country, the sad but perhaps inevitable word from officials in washington state who say they are now ending the large scale active search for victims over five weeks since that massive landslide wiped out a community north of seattle. 41 bodies, as you may know, have been recovered, though two people remain missing. authorities say it was a very difficult decision to make. the sheriff stressed, the search will continue on a much smaller scale. he acknowledged, the remaining victims may never be found. world leaders including is president obama have unleashed a new barrage of sanctions on russia, taking aim at powerful businesses linked to vladimir putin's circle. with military action deemed all but impossible, this is instead about using money to apply

pressure. the report from andrea mitchell. >> reporter: so far, russia isn't backing down. today pro russian strong men went after supporters of the kiev government, even allegedly shooting the mayor in the back. he was injured seriously but survived. hit again with sanctions, vladimir putin remains defiant. critics say that's because the critics say that's because the critics say that's because the critics say that's because the critics say that's because the u.s. and europe hit seven officials and 17 companies but not the biggest banks and energy companies after pressure from bp and other companies with huge investments. today president obama says he does not want to target putin himself. >> the goal here is not to go after mr. putin personally. the goal is to change his calculous. >> reporter: but those sanctioned today do include some who could be helping putin hide his fortune estimated to be in the billions. still, putin has not pulled troops back from ukraine's border.

i asked the treasury secretary what happens next. what is the trigger point that would trigger tougher sanctions and would the u.s. move without european allies if the russians invades today? >> the actions taken today says the situation has gotten considerably more worry some and trouble some even though we haven't seen an invasion. we've taken more and more action. we have many steps we can take, and we're prepared to take those steps. >> reporter: an american journalist was held by russian militia for three days. >> one had a machete and one had a shotgun saying shoot him now. >> reporter: a russian group is still holding seven international monitors. even president obama today said he doesn't know whether today's sanctions will change putin's behavior. brian? >> andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom tonight, thanks. still ahead on the broadcast tonight, new fallout, big pressure on the nba after that explosive racial rant caught on a recording and later, the news tonight about a congressman, former fbi agent that made headlines for threatening a journalist on camera.

new fallout tonight for the owner of the one of the nba franchises here in southern california, the los angeles clippers after an explosive audiotape surfaced reportedly of team owner and real estate owner donald sterling going on a racist tirade during a conversation with his one-time girlfriend. tonight, several big sponsors are abandoning the clippers and pressure building on the league to take action. joe fryer is at the staple's center across town here in la where the clipper wills play in a play-off game tomorrow night. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. hours before that game tomorrow, the nba will make an announcement about its investigation into donald sterling. right now it's unclear what, if any, action the league will take.

in the midst of the playoffs, nba fans are asking to take swift action against donald sterling, the l.a. clippers owner accused of making racist remarks. >> they need to erase him from the clippers and say this man will not be part of the team. they need to suspend him immediately and indefinitely. >> reporter: usc law professor jody armor say it's complicated. >> they don't want to establish a president where the commissioner has the power to suspend them for something they said in private. >> reporter: two websites posted audio recordings, which they say are conversations between sterling and then girlfriend. the recordings have not been verified by nbc news. >> yeah, it bothers me a lot that you want to promo, broadcast that you're associating with black people. do you have to? >> reporter: according to tmz, sterling was upset she posted this picture posing with magic johnson who in the wake of this controversy expressed interest in buying the clippers.

today companies are ending or suspending sponsorships with the team. carmax called the statements completely unacceptable. kia motors say they are offensive and reprehensible. >> i think it has the potential to hurt the nba's image. i hope they react quickly and indecisively in dealing with this. >> reporter: president obama weighed in from asia. >> when ignoreant folks want to advertise ignorance, you don't do anything but let them talk. >> reporter: clippers' players made a silent statement, revealing shirts inside out hiding the team logo. >> from that point on,how could your mind be on the game? >> reporter: in a statement, the clipper's president said it's not clear if the recordings are legitimate or authored. sterling was about to receive a life-time achievement award from la's naacp for his charitable contributions. that won't happen now. >> there is a personal economic and social price that mr. sterling must pay. >> reporter: tomorrow the clippers will host the golden state warriors. they play-off series tied at two games a piece.

some clipper's fans are calling for a boycott of that game. brian? >> joe fryer over at the staples center tonight. joe, thanks. we'll take a break. we're back in a moment with a special announcement about one of our own, who happens to be the reason we're here in los angeles.

big trouble tonight for u.s. congressman michael grim of new york. the republican who happens to be a former fbi agent represents staten island has been indicted by the feds on mail wire and tax fraud charges related to a restaurant in which he was an investor. among the accusations, prosecutors say he hid more than a million dollars in restaurant sales and wages. he made headlines, you may recall, back in january after he was caught on camera threatening harm to a television reporter for new york one, threatened to throw him after a balcony after the reporter tried to question him about an fbi investigation into campaign finances.

he's claimed not guilty and says he's been framed by the u.s. government saying he's the victim of a political witch hunt. dr. jack ramsey died, well-known to millions of basketball fans. he was a hall of fame coach, including for the '77 portland trailblazers. he was a fixture on espn since. the doctor and his title referred to his phd, something he put to good use as an author and the outfits at court side. he was a world war ii navy veteran, widely regarded as one of the top ten coaches of all time. jack ramsey was 89. officials in rome are saying looks like they had three million visitors over the weekend. they were there to witness a once in a time life event, of course. pope st. john the 23rd and pope what's being built as a positive milestone tonight for american education, researchers

say the national high school graduation rate has hit 80%, an all-time high with the projected rate hoped to hit 90% by 2020. if you're a user of the web browser, internet explorer, this is reason for caution. advice is don't use it until they work out a security breach that allows hacker to take over depending what you click on, microsoft is working hard on a fix they say. a quick word as to why we're here, a new backdrop for us in los angeles after 52 years in burbank. this is an all-new nbc news facility as part of the universal lot and tomorrow morning, we'll gather here to dedicate this new building to the man who helped build the place, tom brokaw started as a local anchor man and then correspondent and the rest is history. tomorrow he gets a building with his name on it and today, he

remembered arriving in la as a young man for his new job. >> they gave me a blue mustang with a radio television and a phase full of plane tickets and said go cover the world, and it was a game-changer. we became enormously attached to california and it made it possible for me to go from here to washington to new york. it is gratifying. for the first time in a long time, my family is actually excited about my public recognition. they are like okay, dad. >> in case you're wondering, the company does not give out blue

mustangs or any other color for that matter. because so many of you asked, tom is doing great and will be here tomorrow morning for has rightful spot in the california sun. when we come back, the worst of times again tonight, brought out the best in people.

for our final story here tonight, we return to the lead story this evening, but specifically here about some of the good that is taking place in one of the communities hardest hit by this violent weather we witnessed. we get the story from janet shamlian in arkansas. >> that's my grandson there. >> reporter: it was good turn out for jessie green's 83rd birthday, but you wouldn't call this a party. it wasn't a garage sale, either. the memories of a life well lived are muddy and wet. she came home today to start cleaning, to find her friends already started the job. you seem in fairly descent spirits. >> i'm living. i'm walking and talking. >> reporter: she worked an overnight nursing shift and spent all day helping jessie.

you got to be exhausted. >> not yet, i will be. >> reporter: drivers waited in line outside city hall, not to get emergency supplies but to give them. >> trying to get the food and water and basic necessities. >> trying to take care of friends and neighbors. >> reporter: like the bank workers that turned the parking lot into a grill, searching lunch in a hardship, many offers of help. this veterinary building has a tree crashed through it. this guy is shaking. >> absolutely. >> reporter: instead of making repairs, he's on a desperate search for owners of the orphans of the storm. can we get them reunited? >> we're doing our best. >> when a disaster like this happens, animals suffer, too. >> reporter: people here drop everything to help others pick up the pieces. caring, it's how things are done. >> makes you feel, i don't know, just good inside. >> reporter: janet shamlian, nbc news, mayflower, arkansas. that is our broadcast on a monday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams reporting tonight from our nbc news los angeles bureau.

how about we leave you with a sign of survival and hope after an awful 24 hours in arkansas. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >> announcer: nbc bay area news starts now. it's a new era when a ceo is forced to resign as frequently as we've had recently. >> right now at 6:00, forcing company leaders to take ownership of their words. could another top leader take a tumble. thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. the scandal rocking the nba. outrage sparked by a racially charged rant allegedly made by clippers owner, donald sterling. they take on the warriors tomorrow night and the coach for the warriors is wasting no time

detailing what he thinks fans should do. >> a lot of people talking. the clippers are losing big money as in corporate sponsorships. companies are pulling out quickly. this isn't the first time a team owner has been in trouble. we have that part of the story. we begin with the latest in the investigation. kris sanchez has the details. the nba commissioner cannot force an owner to sell a team as the fans would like to see. in the name of protecting the game, the nba constitution allows the commissioner to levy a $1 million fine and an indefinite suspension. meantime, today, warriors head coach urged fans to use their power and boycott. >> i believe the fans, the loudest statement they can make as far as fans is to not show up to the game. >> at practice today, warriors head coach mark jackson urged clippers fans and warriors fans to send april message to donald sterling about those